16 – Did I Mention That OWLs Are Hell?
10 June 1996
Hogwarts
The fifth-years were nervous as they ate breakfast. Today was the day. OWLS were starting, and they did not like it one bit. The seventh-years weren’t much better, since they were sitting their NEWTs that day. Today was Herbology, and Neville had finally shown the fabled Gryffindor courage, and was quizzing the combined OWL and NEWT group, who had taken over one end of the Slytherin table – to the staff’s surprise and the students’ joy – on varying plants.
“How do you deal with Devil’s Snare?”
“Light or heat. So, basically, Lumos Soleum, Bluebell Flames, even your standard Lumos,” Cassius said with a grumble.
“Correct,” Neville shuffled the flashcards. “Dangers and uses of mandrakes?”
“Adults’ screeches can kill you, juveniles’ screeches will knock you out – or at least mess up your eardrums for a bit,” Alhena muttered. “Useful for Mandrake Restorative Draught, and some other potions I cannot be bothered to remember until next week.”
“Sassy, but correct.” Neville shuffled the flashcards again, and the questioning continued.
Minerva leant over to Severus. “Are you annoyed your table is taken over by all the fifth and seventh-year students?”
Severus shook his head. “No. If they pass, they pass. And at least they’re kept busy by the quizzing, instead of panicking like previous years. And that is a win for all of us. Poppy hasn’t had to hand out a calming draught once since they decided to make two year-wide study groups, and then combined those groups into one.”
“Are you telling us the stress levels went down due to this never-before-seen massive study group?” Filius was shocked.
“Yes.” Severus was smug. “Because they’re all studying the material, it’s easier for them to learn in a variety of styles. For example, if there are students that learn better by explaining the material to other students, they can explain it to auditory learners. Or the visual learners can do sketches, and those who learn by writing things can add facts to those sketches and make study guides from that.”
“You’re awfully smug today,” Pomona said with a grin.
“The whole idea was my fifth-year Slytherins’, and it spread through the school once they asked for Longbottom’s help with Herbology.” Severus smirked. “And the next thing we knew, it encompassed the entirety of the OWL and NEWT students, no calming draughts are necessary, and even Granger is less frantic. So, yes, I am smug.”
Once breakfast was over, the OWL and NEWT students waited outside the hall, resuming their quizzing until the doors opened. Alhena was near the front, right after Hannah and before Susan. NEWT students sat in the back.
Professor Marchbanks explained the rules, and as soon as she finished, Alhena raised her hand.
“Yes, Miss Black?”
“Professor, I was wondering what spells are allowed to be cast on the exam paper. Some students, after all, might not have English as their native language, and we all are prone to making mistakes,” Alhena said with a small smile.
“By Dagda, how could I forget to say something so important?” Griselda was completely shocked that she had forgotten. “Thank you for reminding me, Miss Black. There are only three types of spells that students are allowed to cast on their exam papers. First, erasing charms, such as Deleo. Second, translation charms. Third, charms that make the paper easier to read, such as Securus Lectio. There are spells imbued into the parchments themselves that give an automatic failing grade if any other types of spells are cast, so you have been warned.”
They got their papers, the hourglass was turned, and they started. Alhena hit the parchment with a Parseltongue translation charm, and then started writing. Unsurprisingly, without the linguistic hassle, she was done much sooner than expected, and hit the parchment with another translation charm, to turn it back to English, and was then dismissed, with Hermione and Neville shortly behind.
“Wow, that was surprisingly easy,” Hermione muttered as they plopped down in an abandoned classroom.
“That’s what collective learning gets you.” Alhena smiled brightly.
The group steadily grew as more and more people joined them after finishing their exams, and they resumed their quizzing session from the morning until lunch, where everyone took a few minutes to just eat and process information. Then, after lunch, the group were turned out to the greenhouses. Alhena huffed and went to handle a mandrake, repotting it with a scowl worthy of Severus – or Thomas in a foul mood – while cussing up a minor storm under her breath in Parseltongue.
Afterwards, they all trooped inside to go take showers, went to dinner, and then did a bit more revision before falling into bed.
14 June 1996
Hogwarts
That pattern continued for the entire week, through the Charms, Arithmancy and Muggle Studies exams – the last one being an exam Alhena, Harry and Hermione sat for shits and giggles due to growing up Muggle – until Friday morning dawned bright and clear, bringing with it the DADA OWL and NEWT.
The theory portion was ridiculous enough to make Alhena mourn the quality of British Defence education since the retirement of Galatea Merrythought, even as she wrote a lengthy side discussion on why Dementors were absolutely terrible guards for prisoners – in her defence, the paper asked for an essay on any Defence-related topic – before leaving the hall.
But the practical portion after lunch was her absolute favourite. Oh, did she adore the gobsmacked looks the examiners gave the entire year-groups at the sight of so many corporeal patroni. Her own raven patronus silently cawed on top of her shoulder while she smiled at Professor Tofty, glowing brighter with the feeling of unfettered pride in herself and her peers.
That afternoon, the Quartet – plus Neville, Daphne, Draco, Theo and Blaise – made their way down to the Black Lake, intent unwinding a bit. They talked among themselves, and then split off into several little conversations. Alhena laid down on the grass, looking up at the sky. And, between one moment and the next, a whisper seemed to pass by her – and only her – on the breeze, the words so quiet she swore she had imagined them until she examined her memories that night. “I’m proud of you, succeeding where I failed.”
21 June 1996
Hogwarts
Alhena, of course, took the rest of her OWLs in stride. In Potions she endeavoured to just get the best score she could. In Transfiguration she just did the practical with the most unimpressed expression she could manage – not hard after listening to Cadmus and Ignotus argue over something stupid in the afterlife for half the night – before going to sleep the rubbish off. Astronomy was anticlimactic, and so was Runes. But the practical portion of Care of Magical Creatures was the opposite of anticlimactic.
Alhena was sitting on the grass, slowly and painstakingly helping Mintaka shed under the watchful eye of one of the examiners and explaining what she was doing, when she caught movement from the corner of her eye and stopped to look.
An entire group of ICW Aurors were walking up the winding path to the castle proper, headed by the current Supreme Mugwump, Babajide Akingbade. And the quartet traded looks at that, remembering Ron’s prophecy, before returning to their various tasks. Not thirty minutes later, their attention was taken away from their work once more by a massive ruckus, and all work stopped at the sight before them.
Dumbledore was being frog-marched towards the gates by two ICW Aurors, who more often than not had to keep a vice-like grip on his arms as he kicked and screamed like a toddler throwing a tantrum, shouting about being the saviour of the Wizarding World. And to Hogwarts’ resident necromancer, the sight was so funny that she ended up laughing while lying flat on her back on the grass. And the rest of the students weren’t much better off, with over half bent double and guffawing loudly, even the more composed Slytherins – such as Theo and Cassius – and the rest snickering.
The Evening Prophet was a massive insight into things, and Alhena saw Ron collecting his winnings from grumbling Slytherins.
‘Dumbledore Arrested by ICW in Relation to Old Grindelwald War Unsolved Cases’
by Tamara Dearborn, Daily Prophet correspondent
‘Dear readers, this afternoon during Hogwarts’ Care of Magical Creatures OWL and NEWT exam, the unthinkable happened: Albus Dumbledore was arrested. And not just by anyone, by the International Confederation of Wix.
‘While a situation such as this is far beyond what would normally cross the minds of the masses, the limited information available to me as a legal correspondent reveals that this is part of an ongoing investigation sparked by Grindelwald finally giving up his decades-long silence on numerous unsolved cases from the war, including what happened to the victims of the most horrific crime Heinrich Brandt confessed to at the Magical Nuremberg Trials. And the prospects aren’t pretty.
‘Other information I was also privy to is that Dumbledore was also arrested in conjunction with the following cases:
1. The deaths of Lord Aurelius and Lady Alexandria Peverell in 1939
2. The disappearance/death of Lord Marvolo Gaunt in 1932
3. The disappearance of Julietta de Alba in 1922
4. The disappearance and death of Lady Carina Gaunt-Haydon in 1979
5. The deaths of Lord James and Lady Lily Potter in 1981
6. The incapacitation of Lord and Lady Longbottom in 1981
7. The death of Lady Irma Selwyn in 1983
8. The death of Lord Algernon Mulciber in 1984
9. The origins of the Dark Lord Voldemort
‘Updates will be provided as time goes on.
‘For more information on the ICW, see page 4. For information on the Magical Nuremberg Trials, see page 5. For a review of the aforementioned cases, see pages 6-11.’
28 June 1996
Black Castle
If you asked Alhena how she made it through the Divination and History OWLs after that revelation, she honestly wouldn’t have been able to tell you. Literally, the only things she remembered from that last week of fifth year were the whispers following the quartet around Hogwarts’ halls. Even the news that Slytherin had won the House Cup didn’t get through her reverie.
It was only when she stepped back into her bedroom at Black Castle and spotted the letter lying on her desk that she was jolted back to reality.
‘Lady Peverell-Slytherin-Haydon,
‘We at the ICW would be honoured if you could attend the trial of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, as many topics would doubtlessly serve to put many heartaches for your family to rest. You are, of course, welcome to bring any parties you may feel were the most wronged by him with you.
‘Kind regards,
Babajide Akingbade,
Supreme Mugwump and Sudanese Representative’
And, that was when thought became reality.